Index device



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Patented Jan. 28, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIOE JAMES H. BAND, 0]? NORTH 'IONAWANDA, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MEN'I'S, TO REMINGTON RAND ING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE INDEX DEVICE Application filed December 26, 1923. Serial No. 682,645.

This invention relates to index devices for index sheets of easily mutilated material such as thin paper, as for example the pages or leaves of a telephone book.

Objects of the invention are to protect index sheets of the type described from defaeement and mutilation while permitting them to be frequently handled and consulted, to give the necessary degree of support to enable such sheets to be used separately in an index system, to permit inspection of both sides of such sheets without removing the protector therefrom, to provide on each side of the protector an indication of the scope of the index material on both sides of such sheets, and in general to improve devices of the character described.

For the purpose of illustrating the invention one concrete embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the back of one of the holders of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 33 of Fig. 2.

The embodiment of the invention shown for the purpose of illustration comprises a series of index holders A arranged in edgewise juxtaposed parallel relation in a suit able container which may take the form of a box or file drawer 13.

Index holders A are in the form of pro tecting envelopes entirely enclosing index sheets G, which in this case may be individual pages or leaves from a telephone book. HolderA is preferably made from a flat sheet of transparent resilient material such as sheet celluloid of a width equal to the length of the index sheet and of a length slightly greater than twice the width of index sheet. This celluloid sheet is bent upon itself at 4 and 5, Fig. 3, forming a solid front 6 and two flaps 7 and 8 covering the back of the index sheet, the free ends of the flap being in juxtaposed parallel relation at 9. Flap 8 is preferably very much narrower than flap 7 and forms a relatively narrow flange providing a pocket into which one marginal edge of the index sheet 6 is inserted by raising the longer flap 7 the opposite marginal edge of sheet C being then pushed under flap 7, until the sheet is flat against front 6. The folds of the resilient holder or protector yieldingly grip the marginal portions of the index sheet C and securely hold it in place and the entire protector forms a flat envelope of uniform thickness as shown in Figs. 2 and 3.

Attached to one of the folded edges of holder A, preferably fold 5, and adjacent one end of the holder is a tab 10. This tab is preferably formed of a strip of celluloid folded upon itself, the free ends 11 of which enclose a portion of the holder and are made fast thereto in any suitable manner, preferably by cementing. Into the loop or sheath formed by tab 10 is inserted an index strip 12 the index indicia thereon showing through the opposite faces of the tab. If desired, index strip 12 may be in two parts integrally joined together in which case it is folded to gether back-to-bacl: before insertion within the tab 10, as indicated in Fig. 3. The index strip preferably indicates the contents on both sides of the index sheet, as for example, by having the first word on the left-hand side of the sheet at the top of each side of the strip and the first word on the right-hand side of the sheet therebeneath.

The use of the index device is as follows: The holders A being flexible are normally inclined either toward the front or back of the drawer or box B. By reason of their flexibility it may be desirable to use spacers D of rigid material, such as heavy card-board. If the index tabs 10 are not individually visible to the user in the normally inclined position of holders A, the latter may be flexed backwardly and the tabs 10 successively released until. the desired sheet is found. The latter is pulled out to the position shown in Fig. 1, or entirely removed from the box B if desired, to consult the index material thereon. A glance at the index strip in tab 10 indicates to the user on which side of the index sheet G the required item will be found. After consulting the index sheet the latter is returned to its proper place in the box, the number of the sheet serving to identify its place if the adjacent sheets have not been held separated,

From the above it Will be evident that a protector for thin, easily torn and mutilated index sheets has been provided which permits practically unlimited handling thereof, the transparent protector permitting both sides of the index sheet to be consulted Without removing the protector. It has been found in practice that a protector of amber colored celluloid makes the index items more easily read since it mitigates the glare of the white sheet upon which such items are ordinarily printed. Moreover, the protector or holder while extremely flexible provides the needed support to enable such thin sheets of index material to be used in parallel juxtaposed relation in suitable holders such as illustrated in Fig. 1 in which they are readily accessible. The index indicia in the tab enable the user to know at once upon which side of the index sheet to look for the required item.

I claim:

1. A holder for index sheets comprising a sheet of transparent material folded upon itself with its free ends in juxtaposition upon one side thereof to form a flat envelope adapted to substantially entirely enclose an index sheet.

2. A holder for sheets having index indicia on both sides thereof comprising a sheet of transparent flexible material folded upon itself from each end forming flaps, the free ends of which are in substantially abutting relation.

3. A holder for sheets having index indicia on both sides thereof comprising a sheet of transparent flexible material folded upon itself from each end forming flaps of unequal width, the free ends of which are in substantially abutting relation.

4. A holder for index sheets comprising a sheet of transparent material folded upon itself with its free ends in juxtaposition upon one side thereof to form a flat envelope adapted to substantially entirely enclose an index sheet, and a strip of transparent material provided with a fold in its central portion and having the ends embracing one folded edge of said sheet, said ends being secured to said sheet at opposite sides of the fold and cooperating therewith to form a pocket for removably receiving an index element and for retaining said sheet in folded relation.

Signed by me at Boston, Massachusetts, this 18th day of December, 1923.

JAMES H. RAND. 

